Here I Am
by BuriMaymay
Summary: [Oneshot] A walk through a forest, an encounter with Naraku, a near death experience, just what Kagome and Inuyasha always wanted.


** Disclaimer** I own Inuyasha. –points to Inu plushie- See, he's mine. .;;; Ehe he he. Just kidding. I do own the tree in this tree. It's all mine. And the wolf. That's mine too. I do not, however own the lyrics or the Inuyasha group.

** A/N:** Well, here's my second one-shot. This has been in the making for about two years. Actually, I've just been too lazy to finish typing it. So, it's Friday night, my friends aren't online, and I'm bored, so I decided to type it up. Well, enjoy.

* * *

"I…I love you."

Those were his last words, words that would haunt her forever. She never told him how she felt. Right now though, she felt ashamed. She could still imagine the scene before her. Inuyasha, fighting in his human form to protect her from Naraku. His surprised look when Naraku slashed him in the chest. Inuyasha's navy blue eyes full of pain yet filled with so much love for her when he said those words.

Kagome shuddered at the silence of the night. The wind blew her limp, black hair across her tearstained face. This would be her first night alone, away from her friends and Inuyasha.

In the night when your heart shook and I can't see tomorrow

I can't believe anything, and close my ears.

She closed her chocolate brown eyes and leaned against the bark of the tree. She shuddered again as she began to dream her last moments with him.

_Inuyasha…_

**Flashback**

Inuyasha sat in a tree, in one of his moods again. The group didn't find any jewel shards that day or the previous one either. He growled angrily at their misfortune. _'I knew we shouldn't have made a stop at that village, but Kagome just had to go and help those people. Feh.'_ He growled again loudly.

"If you keep growling, Inuyasha, you are going to lose your voice. Although that might be a good thing," commented Miroku goodheartedly, standing underneath the tree Inuyasha currently occupied. Sango stood smirking at Miroku's side. Miroku looked at Sango, and she looked back at him curiously. She felt some pressure on her backside, and her face turned a lovely shade of magenta.

"Hentaii!" Sango screamed as loud as she could muster and slapped him.

"It might be a good thing that your hand is firmly attached to your arm, Miroku. Otherwise, Sango might rip it off," said Kagome smiling. She knew that in a while at the fire, everyone would be too moody to talk. She gazed at the setting sun before deciding to go for a walk in the forest.

"I'll be back, guys," she said, but was unheard by Sango and Miroku. Miroku seemed to be unconscious, and Sango looked as if she was glaring daggers at his limp form. Inuyasha, however, flicked one of his ears in her direction and simply said, "Feh."

Kagome shrugged and walked into the forest, unaware that a certain hanyou with nothing better to do decided to follow her. She breathed in the sweet scent of the trees and the other plant life. She smiled and closed her eyes as she listened to the sounds. The rustling of the leaves on a tree. The distant howl of a wolf. The crunch of leaves behind her…

_'Demon'_ she immediately thought and whirled around to find the source of the noise. Her body tensed and her heart pounded, since she had forgotten her bow and arrows at their temporary camp. The sun's last rays illuminated the outline of a red-face hanyou. She sighed heavily while her heart calmed to a normal pace, thankful that it was not a demon. She turned back around and continued on her way deeper into the forest. Again, there was the sound of someone behind her. Slightly annoyed, she wondered what he wanted now. _'Maybe he's going to yell at me for sitting him so many times.'_ She turned to him suddenly, but was unable to see him properly due to no moon being out that night.

"What…" but she cut herself off when she finally noticed that he was in his human form, and he was mere inches from her.

She looked up into his navy blue eyes that were clouded with many emotions she was unable to read. She trembled slightly when he ran his calloused hand gently down her cheek. She smiled at his warm touch that was sending chills throughout her body. He smiled down at her, making her blush slightly.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered.

"Yeah."

"I…I want to tell you something," he again whispered, but this time slightly more urgent.

"What?"

"I…" but he was cut off when he felt her body stiffen. Kagome wasn't looking at him anymore, but rather at the figure behind him. She stifled a gasp. Inuyasha turned around and then shoved Kagome behind him. Cold, red eyes stared at the two from behind a mask. The figure's body was covered in a white baboon pelt. There was Naraku.

"Well, well, well. A human Inuyasha and the reincarnation of Kikyo. How touching," said Naraku, grinning maliciously behind his mask.

"Back off, Naraku," shouted Inuyasha angrily. He whispered to Kagome, "Get out of here. Go back to camp."

"And leave you here to battle Naraku in this condition? No way," Kagome replied stubbornly.

"Wench, you're going back to camp."

"Says who, Dog boy?"

"Me."

"I am not going back."

"Oh yes you are," said Inuyasha while giving Kagome a shove.

"You two can fight in the afterlife later," Naraku said smoothly. "Both of you shall not make it to your camp." He pointed a finger at Inuyasha as demons of different shapes and sizes came beside their master. "My demons are no match for you two. Die."

"Run, Kagome!" shouted Inuyasha as he unsheathed the untransformed Tetsusaiga.

Kagome turned around and ran as fast as her legs could carry her, not caring which direction she was headed. She could hear Inuyasha running behind her. After a while, her breaths turned into ragged gasps. Inuyasha started to pant. Kagome stopped suddenly and screamed, when she saw a massive dragon demon blocking their path. Inuyasha stopped quickly behind her. Kagome felt an odd tingling sensation throughout her body, heat. This sensation continued to grow hotter, until Kagome focused this energy to her right hand. Kagome pointed that hand at the demon, and a pink bolt flew from it. It hit the demon, and with a loud blast, blew the demon into many pieces. Inuyasha looked at Kagome in astonishment before shaking his head. He pushed her, and they continued running. Their feet pounded heavily against the earth. Kagome was raggedly breathing, and Inuyasha was panting thickly. Kagome stopped again, but this time, Inuyasha ran into her. Inuyasha and Kagome scrambled up from the earth. She looked before them; her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and hatred. Inuyasha looked from her to the figure. There again was Naraku in all of his demonic glory.

Inuyasha pushed Kagome behind him and said, "Don't harm Kagome. She's not involved. Let her leave, and deal with me."

Naraku's eyes glittered wickedly from behind the mask. He then gave out an evil chuckled that turned into an evil laugh.

"What's so funny?" demanded Kagome.

"I can't let her or you escape. You both have caused me trouble, and you have jewel shards. This miko is as involved as you are, Inuyasha. She will make a pretty prize, just like Kikyo."

Kagome sucked her breath and glared at Naraku angrily. She opened her mouth to retort something back, but Inuyasha beat her to it. "Naraku, you will pay."

Inuyasha lunged himself at Naraku, Tetsusaiga in hand. Naraku easily dodged him and laughed cruelly. _'Damn this human form. It's too damn slow and weak.'_ Inuyasha again tried to attack Naraku with the untransformed Tetsusaiga, but didn't succeed. However, Naraku grabbed Tetsusaiga and threw it against a tree. Kagome ran to the tree and tried to pull the weapon from the tree. The sword stuck fast. After Naraku disposed of Inuyasha's sword, he pushed Inuyasha hard to the ground with one of his arms. Inuyasha turned to Kagome and called out breathlessly, "Run."

Naraku stalked up to Inuyasha and grabbed him by his neck with one of his deformed hands. Kagome looked at the scene horrified. Naraku smiled and said, "Die, Inuyasha."

Time seemed to slow for Kagome. She watched Naraku throw Inuyasha to the ground again. She saw Inuyasha struggle to stand, clutching his throat and breathing heavily. She watched Naraku slash Inuyasha in the chest using one hand covered in claws. She saw him fall slowly to the ground. She saw his slightly surprised face as she ran to him. When she reached him, she fell heavily to her knees beside him. He looked up at her, wincing from the pain. Kagome looked down at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Kagome, go. Leave me. I don't want you to die. You can kill him later and purify the jewel," sputtered Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha…"

"Please, Kagome." He looked up at her pleadingly. She bowed her head as tears spilled down her cheeks and onto his bloodstained haori. He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. Startled, she looked into his navy blue eyes.

"I…I love you," he breathed out before his hand went limp to his side. Her tears spilled more freely down her face. She shook his body softly.

"No, you can't leave me. Inuyasha, you can't go. No."

Naraku laughed wickedly as he walked over to her. "Come with me, young miko."

Kagome did not hear Naraku's voice. She looked at Inuyasha's limp form. She threw her arms around him, not caring about his blood staining her uniform. "No…no…NO!" she screamed.

An eerie pink aura surrounded her and Inuyasha's body. Naraku tried to grab Kagome, but was shoved back by the aura. The other demons massed around her, ready to attack the miko. After a while, the aura shattered. A strong wind pushed the demons away. Then, there was a blinding white light that decimated the demons. After the light subsided, small pieces of the once extremely large demons floated to the ground and Naraku was nowhere to be seen. Kagome sat up and looked at Inuyasha's lifeless form for the last time. She hastily stood up and ran, her head in her hands, from the blood red dawn. She kept running, unaware of the direction in which she was headed. The sun peaked through the trees, sending beams of light in ever area in the forest, but Kagome ran on. Later in the day when her breath was running short and her body becoming weaker, she tripped over a root and sprawled to the ground. She made no move to get up. When the night was upon her, she crawled to the nearest tree, the one that she was currently occupying, and sat by it.

**Flashback**

"Inuyasha," she mumbled in her sleep. "Inuyasha…INUYASHA!"

* * *

When I met you, I found my true place in life.

An innocent kindness is right here.

And so we awaken…

A form shuddered in the middle of a clearing. It drew in ragged breaths and coughed of times. It shook its head and struggled to sit up. After a couple of attempts, it finally sat in an odd Indian style. It continued its labored breathing, but in a few minutes later, it was able to breathe in a normal fashion.

"That was quite a blow," spoke the figure quietly. He looked around the clearing, noting the pieces of what looked to be demons that surrounded him. "Did Kagome do this? Her power must be improving."

He now with a great effort attempted to stand up, wincing slightly at the pain in his chest. "I'm glad the sun came up when it did. Otherwise, I'd be a goner. Naraku, that bastard. I wonder if Kagome did make it out alive." He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with fresh air. A familiar scent was detected and his amber eyes lit up. "She's alive! I have to make sure she's okay." Then, he spoke a little gruffly. "Wench probably thinks I'm dead."

He started out slowly, following her scent. He sped up when he could withstand his pain.

_Kagome…_

* * *

Kagome jerked awake, breathing heavily, a cold sweat glittering upon her face. She looked at her surroundings, finding a few familiar landmarks. _'Kaede's village isn't too far from here. I bet the others went there when Inuyasha and I didn't return.'_ She slowly stood up, and stretched. Then, she started walking down a hidden path. Late in the afternoon as she neared the village, a little figure shouted her name. She stopped and looked up as a small kitsune bounded up to her and jumped in her arms.

"Kagome, you're alright. What happened to you? Where's Inuyasha?" interrogated Shippo.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she inhaled shakily. "Inu…Inuyasha won't be coming back. Where are Sango and Miroku? I need to talk to them."

Shippo jumped down from Kagome's arms and guided her to a large hut. Kagome opened the flap and was greeted by the hushed voices of Sango and Miroku. They looked up at her, quickly ending their conversation. Sango rose quickly from where she was sitting and embraced Kagome. Kagome returned the embrace, tears sliding down her face. Sango pulled away, concern shining in her brown eyes.

"Kagome, what happened? Why are you crying? Where's Inuyasha?" she questioned.

Kagome walked to the nearest seat and sat down heavily. She explained to them what had transpired, except for those words Inuyasha had spoken to her. She decided earlier that she would keep it between herself and Inuyasha. After she finished her tale, she broke down and covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Sango wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a comforting manner. Miroku gazed at the wall in deep concentration. After a while, Kagome's sobs subsided, and she was able to look up from her hands.

"Well, Kagome, there is one good thing that will result from his death," spoke Miroku.

"What?"

"Kikyo won't try to kill you anymore," he replied.

Kagome directed a deathly glare at Miroku before shouting bitterly, "Don't ever mention her name to me again! I've had to live with Inuyasha running back to her. Well, did Kikyo see Inuyasha die? No. Did Kikyo ever try to help Inuyasha with his problems? NO!" Kagome's voice caught in her throat before she said quietly, "Did Kikyo ever truly love Inuyasha?"

She glanced at Sango then to Miroku before running out of the hut. She ran on, not knowing where she might be going, until she found herself in Inuyasha's forest.

_'I'm going home tomorrow. I…just can't seem to leave yet.'_ She wandered over to the nearest tree and flopped next to it, leaning against the bark. She sighed heavily as her lids began to slowly close as slumber overtook her.

* * *

Inuyasha continued on, following the lingering scent of Kagome's. He walked into the village, stopping to sniff the air. He furrowed his brows as he began to recognize the village. He smiled faintly as he walked to a familiar hut, brushing away the cloth door. Sango and Miroku's shadowed faces looked up from the fire in the center of the hut, sheer disbelief written on their faces.

"What?" he questioned cockily, raising a brow at their disbelieving faces.

"You're…you're alive," Miroku eventually spoke.

"Of course I'm alive. Geez. You think Naraku could defeat me that easily?"

"Well, Kagome was here earlier-" relied Sango before she was cut off.

"Kagome was here. Where's she now?"

"She left after she told us what happened. Let me check out your wounds, Inuyasha…Inuyasha…INUYASHA!"

Said hanyou ran out of the hut, eyes widening slightly at the news. _'I have to find her.'_

* * *

The suns rays peaked through some various openings in the trees, bringing the forest to life. A small form stirred slowly, opening her chocolate brown eyes. She blinked slowly and yawned, brushing her hand over her eyes to rub the sleep from them. She stood up slowly and stretched. She looked around sadly and sighed before beginning her trek home. Abruptly, she stopped and dropped to her knees. Sobs shook her frail form "Why did you go, Inuyasha? Why did you leave?" Memories of him rushed through her thoughts, making the tears come even faster. Moments later, tears stopped forming in her eyes. She dejectedly stood up and aimlessly wandered. Every once and a while, she would stop and smile, recalling their adventures together. As she walked into a clearing, she stopped, the Bone Eater's well before her. She remembered how she first came to feudal Japan and how she first met Inuyasha. She ambled over to the well and lovingly stroked the wood, then sitting on the edge of it. Two tears coursed down her face and dropped onto her skirt. She looked up suddenly, detecting a presence near her. Chocolate brown eyes met pools of amber. She gasped audibly, eyes widening with disbelief. The man in front of her mirrored her features. When her nerves settled somewhat, she plucked up her courage and asked, "Are…are you Inuyasha's ghost?"

Inuyasha smirked, his ears twitching slightly on his head. He walked over to her. When he reached her, he ran a finger across her damp cheek. She paled slightly at his touch before sheer joy shone on her face. She cried and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. He winced a bit; his wound not being fully healed. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her hair, inhaling her sweet scent. When her sobs finally settled, he withdrew his face to look at her.

"What happened, Inuyasha? You're back?"

Inuyasha shrugged while answering. "I…don't really know. I just woke up, I guess. What was up with the demon pieces? I figured you must have done that, but how?"

It was Kagome's turn to shrug. "I…thought you had died. That's the only thing in my mind. And, what you said to me before you were gone. I never got to tell you how I felt." She hung he head, unable to look at Inuyasha any longer. Confused, he tilted her head to meet his gaze.

"And, how do you feel?" he responded quietly.

Kagome gave a small smile before finally saying what had been eating away at her conscience for the last couple of days. "I love you, Inuyasha."

He genuinely smiled at her, eyes lighting up from her confession. She blushed slightly at his reaction. Gently, he lifted her face and kissed her cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears. He pulled back enough to search her eyes before covering her lips with his. Kagome gasped quickly before fluttering her eyes closed. Inuyasha smirked against her lips before he too shut his eyes. Their kiss was sweet and lingering. Kagome pulled back reluctantly, breathing in some much needed air. Inuyasha just gazed at her fondly before embracing her once more.

We keep swimming the same world

Until the day we reach our dreams.

All of us bear the same worries

When you stop and look, I'll be right here

Gazing at you.

* * *

** A/N:** The lyrics are certain parts from "Change the World" in English. No, probably not the literal translation, but I got it from animelyrics (dot) com. So, hope you enjoyed this one. I can't believe I wrote a kissing scene. I mean, if it sounds bad, it's cause I haven't had a kiss before. So, yeah. Reviews are wonderful.


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